A rural homestay run by a Wencheng resident returning from overseas. [Photo/66wz.com]
Wencheng county in Wenzhou, with the second largest population of overseas Chinese in Zhejiang province, is making use of such people in its common prosperity efforts, local media outlets reported.
Statistics show that there are currently roughly 170,000 residents living in over 70 countries and regions across the globe, and about 73,000 Wencheng natives and their families have returned to China.
They have played a key role in contributing to rural vitalization and common prosperity in Wencheng.
For example, in the past five years, the county has attracted four projects with investment totaling 105 million yuan ($14.6 million) from Wencheng natives and their families overseas. Moreover, they have helped support local public welfare and have donated more than 200 million yuan in fund and goods so far. Overseas Chinese returning to Wencheng have also invested a total of 5.6 billion yuan in 22 projects over the past five years.
The county has also been working to strengthen ties between local teenagers and overseas teenagers.
It has followed the tradition of inviting almost 500 overseas Chinese teenagers to visit the county every year. And since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has organized and opened an online Chinese language school for these youngsters, aiming to enhance their interest in Chinese society and culture.
